1. Occupational training: tips and tricks for your training

Starting occupational training is the beginning of a new and exciting step in your life, so it can sometimes be difficult to keep an overview of what’s important. To make sure you have a good idea of key aspects of your training, we’ve made a list of the most important things to keep in mind.

Your employer, or trainer, must provide you with a written training contract before the start of your training. The employer is always the contractual partner with whom you sign the training contract – the company if you’re doing dual training, the training provider if you’re doing non-commercial training, or the school if doing full-time training. Some full-time training programmes do not require a training contract, e.g. those offered by vocational schools and sixth form colleges. This would make you a student and not a trainee.

You, or your legal representative, and the employer must sign the training contract. You must also keep a copy signed by your employer. This contract is important, and should be kept in a safe place.

In accordance with §11 of the BBiG, your training contract must include the following:

The nature and aim of the occupational training, as well as factual and temporal breakdown (in the form of an attached training plan or training framework plan)

The start and duration of the occupational training

Training measures that will take place outside the training premises

Duration of the probation period

Holiday entitlement

Regular daily work times

Payment and remuneration

The requirements under which the occupational training contract can be terminated

Notes about the tariff contracts and/or operational agreements that must be applied to the occupational training contract

There are legal minimums for what information must be included under these points. We will explain these in more depth – or you can simply check the glossary in Chapter 7.